Patidars have been powerhouse of Gujarat’s progress: CM Patel

“Through its activities like promoting social unity, preparing business entrepreneurs and giving them training, preparing youths for civil services, Patidar community, which has been working with the noble intentions of ensuring welfare of all and to help all, has been, in my assessment, the powerhouse of progress of Gujarat. I am fully confident that this progressiveness of the Patidar community will be helpful in taking the development march of Gujarat to newer heights,” the CM said. Patel was addressing a ceremony to launch preparations for Global Patidar Business Summit, 2024 scheduled to be organised in Rajkot next year by Sardardham, an Ahmedabad-based organisation of the powerful Patidar community, at a resort in Rajkot on Sunday.

The CM himself hails from Patidar community which dominates politics, trade and industry and agriculture in the state.

Gagji Sutariya, president of Sardardham, said that his organisation wants to build a Sardardham, an educational complex with hostel facilities in Rajkot at the cost of Rs 200 crore and proceeds of the business expo will be used for funding it.

The CM welcomed the announcement and added that the government will support the project.

“The government will obviously be happy when an organisation, be that of any community, talks about youth and to keep them at the centre of its activities… If the Patidar community decides to develop a Sardardham in Rajkot, the government will stand beside the community,” he said. The CM launched the pre-event of the mega business expo that Sardardham is planning to organise in Rajkot from January 5 to January 8 next year and Sardardham started booking stalls and registration of sponsors formally on Sunday.

Sardardhamchas organised business expos in Ahmedabad in 2018 and 2020 and in Surat in 2022. It now plans to organise its fourth expo in Rajkot and Sutariya said that GPBS, 2024 will facilitate the next level growth of micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) of Rajkot while also help generate funds for educational facilities for children of the community.

The CM said that this year’s budget gives a roadmap for the state for the next five year and stresses on capital expenditure which will foster growth. He said that for industries, Rs8589 crores have been allocated in the 2023-24 budget of the state and underlined that Gujarat tops the list of states of the country in terms of ease of doing business.

Agriculture Minister Raghavji Patel and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Bhanuben Babariya were also present at the launch of the GPBS, 2024.

Sutariya said that in 2016, Sardardham had set a target of creating education facilities for 10,000 girls and boys at the cost of Rs1000 crore over the next 10 years and against that, projects worth Rs 700 crore have already been completed and more than 3000 students are getting hostel facilities at token rates.